How a Persian Language Teacher Built a Bridge Between Generations

When the online class began, the faces on the screen were from everywhere — a girl in London, a boy in Manchester, and another student joining quietly from Oxford.

In the center of the screen was a calm voice that everyone had learned to trust: Dr. Mahmood Kavir, the teacher guiding them through their GCSE Farsi lessons.

He started the class, as always, with a smile.

“Good evening, everyone. Ready for a bit of poetry before grammar?”

The students laughed — they knew what that meant: a few lines from Hafez or Rumi before diving into verbs and essays. The room might have been virtual, but the warmth felt real.

A Language That Feels Like Home

For many of these teenagers, Persian was the language of home, music, and grandparents — but not the language of school.

Most were born in the UK and spoke Farsi only at family gatherings. Preparing for the GCSE exam gave them something special: a reason to learn the language properly and to feel proud of it.

Dr. Kavir understood this better than anyone. He had taught Farsi for more than two decades and believed that every word carried a story.

“It’s not just about passing an exam,” he often said. “It’s about remembering where you come from.”

He encouraged students to listen to Persian songs, to ask their parents the meaning of old expressions, and to write about family traditions. Slowly, grammar stopped feeling like memorization and started feeling like belonging.

Teaching Across Borders

When the world turned to online learning, Dr. Kavir joined Danaa School, a small but growing online community for Persian-speaking families.

The goal was simple — to make quality Farsi education available to anyone who needed it, no matter where they lived.

Classes took place on weekends. Students joined from their living rooms, sometimes with younger siblings waving in the background. Lessons mixed exam preparation with conversations about Iranian festivals, favorite foods, and the meaning of Persian proverbs.

One week they analyzed a short story; the next, they practiced writing about Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Everything followed the official GCSE curriculum, but always with a personal touch.

A Small Moment of Pride

Leila, one of the students, still remembers the day she wrote her first full essay in Farsi.

“It took me hours,” she said, “but when Dr. Kavir read it aloud in class, I realized I could actually do this.”

That sense of pride is what keeps many families coming back. The GCSE farsi certificate is important, but the emotional reward is even greater — knowing their children can read a poem, write a letter, or simply greet an elder properly in their mother tongue.

Parents often write to thank Dr. Kavir after results day. One message read, “My son finally spoke Farsi with his grandparents without switching to English halfway through.” Those small victories mean the world.

More Than a Class

Over time, Danaa School became more than a learning space. It turned into a cultural circle — a place where language learning met community and identity.

Parents sometimes joined the sessions quietly, smiling as their children practiced reading aloud.

Dr. Kavir says that’s his favorite part.

“When a student starts using Persian naturally — without thinking about it — I know I’ve done my job.”

The atmosphere in class is part discipline, part laughter. Mistakes are corrected gently, and cultural curiosity is always encouraged. Students learn to see Persian not as something old, but as something alive — something that travels with them wherever they go.

A Quiet Mission

For everyone involved, this work is more than education. It’s a quiet mission to keep the Persian language alive in new generations, wherever they live.

Language connects families across oceans, and teachers like Dr. Kavir make sure that connection stays strong.

If you’re curious about Danaa School’s workshops and online programs, you can find them through their official website at